Hi guys,
im new to composites and ive been experimenting with carbon fibre but i just cant get it right.
The plug consists of several edges close to each other

here is what i have done so far:
1) made a mould using 14pa tooling gelcoat, 491pa ISO polyester resin, and 3 layers of 200g fibreglass, the mould came out perfectly!
2) sanded down the mould and cleaned it using Easy Lease mould cleaner
3) 1 coat of PVA release agent with brush 
4) 1 coat of EL2 Epoxy Laminating Resin + FAST hardener - wait for it to become tacky 2-4 hours
5) Lay the first layer of carbon fibre (200g 2x2) - IT WAS EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE THE CARBON FIBRE STICK TO THE EDGES WITHOUT LIFTING OFF
6) second coat of EL2 Epoxy Laminating Resin + FAST hardener
7) Lay second layer of carbon fibre - SECOND LAYER OF CARBON FIBRE MADE IT EVEN HARDER TO MAKE IT STICK TO THE EDGES WITHOUT LIFTING OFF!
8) repeat step 6+7 for third layer of carbon fibre
9) release the part after 24h 

as you can see from the pictures, the part has loads of lifts (bubbles) is there anything im doing wrong? 


  

+x

 

Fasta - 2/28/2019 8:57:00 AM

+x

 

sahil mohmed - 2/27/2019 10:24:30 PM

Hi guys,
im new to composites and ive been experimenting with carbon fibre but i just cant get it right.
The plug consists of several edges close to each other

here is what i have done so far:
1) made a mould using 14pa tooling gelcoat, 491pa ISO polyester resin, and 3 layers of 200g fibreglass, the mould came out perfectly!
2) sanded down the mould and cleaned it using Easy Lease mould cleaner
3) 1 coat of PVA release agent with brush 
4) 1 coat of EL2 Epoxy Laminating Resin + FAST hardener - wait for it to become tacky 2-4 hours
5) Lay the first layer of carbon fibre (200g 2x2) - IT WAS EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE THE CARBON FIBRE STICK TO THE EDGES WITHOUT LIFTING OFF
6) second coat of EL2 Epoxy Laminating Resin + FAST hardener
7) Lay second layer of carbon fibre - SECOND LAYER OF CARBON FIBRE MADE IT EVEN HARDER TO MAKE IT STICK TO THE EDGES WITHOUT LIFTING OFF!
8) repeat step 6+7 for third layer of carbon fibre
9) release the part after 24h 

as you can see from the pictures, the part has loads of lifts (bubbles) is there anything im doing wrong? 


  

I think this small part is too complicated and detailed with edges and corners that the carbon does not like to stay over. It's just too complex a shape for the carbon.

Best to use the vacuum infusion process with this one, so the vacuum can help hold the carbon in place while the resin will fill everything.

Thanks alot for the response, i have the Easy composites resin infusion kit on order which will hopefully arrive today. 

i have a few further questions

1) Should the mould be sanded, polished and waxed to a mirror finish for best results in resin infusion?
2) how many layer of PVA release agent would you recommend
3) i have the Easy composites easy lease release agent arriving soon, would you recommend this instead of pva release agent?
4) i live in the UK and currently the temps vary between 1c at night and 10c during the day, im doing all my composite work in a bricked shed, therefore its never room temp. how important is it to keep my work area at room temp?

thanks